Amanda Peterson-Plunkett, CHANCE Executive Editor

“Using data to advance science, education, and society” is the tagline of CHANCE, a peer-reviewed magazine co-published quarterly by the ASA and Taylor & Francis Group. It represents a cultural record of statistics as an evolving field, intended to inform and entertain.

The first magazine was published in 1988 under the direction of William Eddy and Steven Fienberg. More on the birth and history of the magazine can be found in a 2013 interview with Eddy and Fienberg: “Taking a CHANCE.” Additionally, a large number of already-published articles are online.

The success of the magazine depends on engaging articles. Writing for CHANCE is a great way to share interesting applications and the latest advances in statistics and data science. Keep reading for information about submitting an article.

Writing and submission: Authors are encouraged to write with a relaxed, expository style; opinion, humor, and historical comments can (and should) be intermingled to make for lively reading. Articles can be submitted online. Be sure to apply the advice provided on the CHANCE “Submit an Article” page. Also, see the author resources provided by Taylor & Francis.

Development of an initial idea or rough draft: If you have an idea but are not sure if it is a good topic for CHANCE, submit the idea to the executive editor for feedback. Or maybe you already have a good idea or rough draft but are not sure how to transform it into an engaging article. For example, this may be your first time publishing, or maybe you need help polishing the language as a non-native English speaker. Maybe you just need help getting started. In these cases, our developmental editor can help. Email the executive editor to get started.

Special issue development: If you are a leading expert in your field, we would love to partner with you for a special issue of CHANCE. It is an opportunity to showcase work in your field to a broad audience. Given your vast network of experts, we will rely on you to invite papers and assist in reviewing specialized content. Recent special issues include topics such as clinical trials, data privacy, and the use of statistics for doing good (September 2021 issue). Email the executive editor to discuss ideas. 

Peer review and publication: After submission, your article will be screened to ensure all necessary items are included. The executive editor will make an initial determination of relevancy (i.e., it is of topical interest to CHANCE). Next, the article will be sent to an editor for review and comments. Editorial recommendations include “accept,” “minor revision,” “major revision,” or “reject.” If revision is requested, be sure to address all the provided feedback. Finalized revisions will be passed to the executive editor for acceptance and placement into an issue. At this time, a short biographical paragraph is required, which will be included with the article. Approximately two months prior to publication, your article will be sent to the publication team for copy editing. A month later, you will receive a proof, at which time you may suggest minor edits. Due to the volume of submissions and limited space, we unfortunately are not able to accept all submitted articles, but we appreciate all submissions!

Published articles: Once the article is published, congratulate yourself and enjoy sharing it with your colleagues, family, and friends. In the “Authored Works” section of your account on Taylor & Francis Online, you will be able to access information about your article, download the PDF, view the HTML version, and access your free eprint link.

I hope you will consider joining our growing list of authors. Follow us on Twitter (@ChanceStatsMag) for the most up-to-date information and news.

ASA members can view articles for free by navigating to “My Publications.” CHANCE magazine is also available in print form. ASA members can select it as a publication when renewing their membership.